Customer Reviews

Phantom Pleasures (Signet Eclipse)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

3.5 Stars

Business heiress and hotel developer, Alexa Chandler, inherits an island in Florida from her deceased father. On this Island is a castle that was moved there years before from Europe. The island and the castle conjure images from Alexa's youth where she used to fantasize about castles and prince charming. Ignoring the rumors about the haunted island and the castle that won't allow in visitors she sets off to see her new prize. She has her heart set on making this a luxurious getaway.

When she gets to the castle a portrait of a man calls to her, she can hear a whisper beckoning her and as she is captivated by the man in the portrait, she touches it and inadvertently releases the "phantom." Damon Forsyth has been trapped in that painting and in that castle for centuries, when he is released from the portrait he is taken in by the red haired beauty who released him.

OK, I have very mixed feelings about this story. The part that really lowered the rating for me was the main couple; they just didn't have any chemistry for me. A minute after meeting, after setting this Phantom free, Alexa has sex with him. I just couldn't buy it. I realize this is fantasy and believe me I have no problems imagining the impossible. But it seemed to me that even in the land of make-believe a woman would have to digest and accept the phantom factor for say maybe 5 or 10 minutes before jumping said phantoms' bones. It was like men pop out of paintings everyday around her, no big deal.

Then the Phantom/Damon was pretty much a big time jerk. He ran hot to cold in seconds and she just kept coming back for more. I would have left his sorry bum in the castle and found my self another oil based boyfriend! ;) It's hard to get involved in a story when you don't care about the two main characters. Luckily the secondary characters of Cat and Ben had plenty of sizzle, they really made this story. They had all the chemistry and likeability the main couple lacked.

The actual storyline itself is fanciful and well told. Julie Leto created a tale about Gypsies and magic, curses and love, lost brothers and missing civilizations. I loved the story, how Damon got in the painting, the conclusion and I am looking forward to the next book, Phantom's Touch, in December. All in all a good story that could have used a little more time developing the main love story.

Cherise Everhard, April 2008

I have to agree with the other reviewers, Cat and Ben were the much better couple and I would have loved to have seen the whole book revolve around the two of them. I never felt a connection or spark between the main hero and heroine, Alexa and Damon. They fell flat for me, I only started to enjoy the story when Cat, Ben, and Paschal came into the story. I even found myself skip the pages where Alexa and Damon were featured to read on about the secondary players. I'll read the next one just to catch up with Cat and Ben again!!!

Really 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed the story in the book and the sex and characters were very hot!! However, there were many things left unsaid. I always seemed to feel as if I were missing vital information or motivation for many of the characters.

Alexa has inherited a haunted castle! As the head of the Crown Chandler hotels, she plans to turn this castle off the coast of Florida into a premiere location, complete with its own ghost.

Damon was cursed centuries ago and trapped inside a painting by a powerful magic-user. He just wants out so he can find his family and seek revenge...and he'll do anything or anyone to achieve those goals.

Sex as a cure to black magic. Intersting premise, but not done as well as I'd hoped...at least not for me.

Alexa Chandler has, since her father's death, dedicated a hundred percent of her energies and time to the running of the Crown Chandler Empire to the detriment of her love life, such as it is. So when Alexa discovers her father left her a secluded island, with its very own castle, she seizes the chance to make her girlish romantic fantasies come true, even if there is no Prince Charming waiting for her.

But as Alexa begins to explore the island and castle, her brother gives her a "protection" charm that sets off a chain of events that turn Alexa's life upside down. Suddenly, Alexa awakens the phantom that lived within the sole item in the seemingly abandoned castle - a painting, she is experiencing passion the likes of which she never imagined possible and her brother, Jacob, is upping his usual strange behavior. But when Alexa discovers there is much more at play than a single piece of real estate she discovers things she never thought possible - will she accept the unbelievable or will her stubbornness condemn a man to a magical prison for more years?

Phantom Pleasures is a paranormal treasure hunt that will keep surprising you at every turn. Alexa is a modern-day Cinderella, except that she is the one with the money, status, and a castle to boot. Alexa believes that the only thing lacking in her life is a passionate lover that only intrudes in her life at nightfall and conveniently disappears at sunrise. However, when she gets exactly that with Damon, the phantom that inhabits her castle, Alexa slowly learns that there is more to life than keeping her late father's empire alive. While the paranormal element within the book is strong, its importance in the plot is haphazard and not really explored or explained fully. Also, the abundance of secondary characters, which at times were more interesting that the main couple, left little room for the development of the main storyline and present a unifying thread in the action that brought all the different sub-plots together before the very end of the story. In the end, Phantom Pleasures is an interesting and entertaining read for lovers of paranormal romances.

Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Phantom Pleasures is the story that Leto says that she's been waiting years to write, though she gave us a hint of her fascination with Gypsies, black-magic and cursed sexy heroes trapped in magical objects with her short in Essence of Midnight (Feature Anthology). Here Leto tells two tales, the first of the cursed hero Damon who was the victim of a sorcerer's black magic and has been trapped for centuries in a painting in a haunted castle until released from the painting by our heroine Alexa's touch -- though the curse is not fully abated, Damon is still trapped in the castle and only takes on a solid form at night, but somehow through the curse he has gained his captor's black magic. And the second, the tale of Alexa's psychic friend `Cat' on the trail of the history behind the castle, the curse and its connection to the mysterious Gypsy land of Valoren and a cult seeking to recapture the very magic that now threatens Damon's soul.

The idea of a phantom lover is an appealing one and Alexa is quick to turn her encounter with Damon into the sensual realization of a lifetime of fantasies of castles and princely lovers. But at times Damon is more nightmare than dream, two of the more sensual scenes between the supposedly destined lovers are preceded or followed by violence on Damon's part and his intent to ruthlessly manipulate Alexa through seduction in order to gain her aid makes him less than the ideal fantasy lover in my opinion. And as Damon begins to slip into violent madness that results from his attempt to free himself by using the black magic, it is hard to see why Alexa would trust him enough to discover that her touches, her kisses and her surrender to Damon's enraged lust is the way to dispel the violence and bring him back to sanity.

Though only the side thread, I found that I was far more engaged in the part of the story following Cat. Her quest is actually the more interesting one. As the clues to the mysterious Valoren lead her to Gypsy expert Paschal, the cult kidnaps Paschal and Cat hooks up with Paschal's son Ben, a hunky scholar with a scoundrel's past. Cat finds something amazing in Ben, his trust in her psychic gifts that it seems that Cat herself hasn't fully embraced, as Cat seeks to help Ben save his father and the secrets Paschal possesses. I thought that the relationship between Ben and Cat, was much better developed than the destined love between the leads. And even though Ben and Cat's relationship didn't run to completion, they are really what made the book work for me. I also enjoyed Ben's father and the surprising twist to the curse that Leto throws in at the end. But it is the hope of seeing more of Ben and Cat and where their relationship goes from here that will have me reading the sequel as Ben and Cat take over the hunt to free the rest of Damon's cursed brothers when the story continues with Phantom's Touch.

From the opening line to the last line, I was hooked by Julie's imaginative plot and awesome writing with a strong hero and an equally strong heroine.

When I read a book, I want to be transported to another world. This book certainly took me there. Great job, Julie. I can't wait to read the next one!

Although Julie Leto's Phantom Pleasures jumped so quickly into the existence of ghosts and psychic abilities that I found it slightly jarring, this was a momentary blip. The tale of Damon and his brothers, an old Romani hideaway, a castle filled with magic, and a cult in search of power was sufficiently complex and fascinating to certainly hold my interest. It's obvious that the scope of the sorcerer Rogan's tale is far greater than this one book, and I definitely came out wanting to know more, yet feeling that the immediate tale had reached a satisfying conclusion.

While it took quite a few pages before I stopped reading Rogan's name as 'Rogaine' (now that's an unfortunate almost-spelling), I have to say that one of the things I particularly enjoyed in this book was the characterization of the bad guys. Bad guys are often relatively superficial in romance novels because they're largely present as foils and obstacles to the romance plot. In this case, nearly every named character lined up against our heroes was more than a simple foil. I definitely enjoy it when I can feel a certain level of sympathy for or interest in a bad guy, and end up not being entirely certain what actions he or she will take in a given circumstance.

I also find it interesting when the main characters have a few flaws of their own. Damon's arrogant, and only gets worse as he uses Rogan's magic. Alexa's stubborn, and doesn't tend to take others' needs into account. Yet they're both likable enough to make an enjoyable couple. They might not have the most breathtaking character chemistry I've ever come across, but they have enough to make them a worthy focus of a novel.

Speaking of which, there's plenty of adult content in here to satisfy your phantom-inspired daydreams. It's of the fiery, passionate type, yet not overly kinky (considering we're talking about a phantom lover here).

I loved this book. I usually don't read paranormal romances (except for the occasional fantasy vampire story...we just can't seem to get away from them). LOL...but i frequent Julie's blog on plotmonkeys and I couldn't help but pick this book up. Most of the book takes place in 2008, but the story about how the phantom comes to be contained in a picture and trapped in the castle is very interesting and it really was a page turner. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait until the next comes out!

In 1747 in Valoren just outside Germany, the Forsyth brothers rush to a Gypsy encampment to save their sister Sarina from ruin. Instead of rescuing her, they are turned into statues by some magical curse.

Over two and half centuries later, affluent businesswoman Alexa Chandler learns that her late father left her Isla de Fantasmas, an island off Florida, that includes a partially reconstructed German castle in which the stones were transported from Europe. She thinks she can convert the place into an exclusive hotel. However, Alexa soon learns of a phantom that haunts her castle. Alexa asks her best friend, paranormal researcher Catalina Reyes to help the ghost who becomes physical at night. Damon Forsythe is fascinated by the independent Alexa, He feels with her and Cat helping him, he might escape the curse, but assumes the cost is no longer interacting with his beloved Alexa.

This is a terrific opening paranormal romance that for the most part occurs in 2008, but also details what happened in 1747. The story line is fast-paced from the onset, but accelerates once the female developer realizes that when the castle was moved from Germany to the Florida isle a ghost was brought with it. A secondary plot involving Cat and a Romany scholar Ben augment this pleasurable tale starring the phantom of the castle and the woman whose love gives him hope.

Harriet Klausner

Phantom Pleasures (Signet Eclipse)

What a great book. I couldn't stop reading it and now I am looking to see if there is MORE to this wonderful fantasy! What girl out there does not relate to the princess fantasy??? You will want to read it and then want more! Great book! Thanks!